


Wearing the Boss Cap

by TheDarkFlygon



Series: 46 Survivors (Sugarvine) AU [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: 46 Survivors AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everybody (or so) Lives, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Makoto is a dork, Name Basis Change, light angst i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 07:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11481315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/pseuds/TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Apparently, Kyoko looks "out of it" recently. She assumes it's "out of the loop", but what her workmate means is "out of it" as in "you're not yourself lately."But who is, really? They're losing their leader. No, they lost their leader. And someone has to be the leader's substitute. Turns out she got picked.





	Wearing the Boss Cap

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot is an accompanying piece to Hanging on a Thread, since it tells a bit of what happened whiile Hajime was out cold after getting wrecked/10 by a cult.  
> But it's Naegiri fluff over responsabilities, and a self-indulgent coming back to the Naegiri scene as I continue to come up with stupid Sugarvine stuff.
> 
> Please read the Series info about the 46 Survivors/Sugarvine AU. If you wanna know the gist of it, everybody but Junko and Mukuro is alive, and V3 cast was Class 79 of Hope's Peak, who helped Class 78 and not-remnants-of-despair Class 77 to flee. They all work together in the 14th Division of the Future Foundation.

“Kirigiri-san?”

A light voice drove her outside of her thoughts while she was reading a file on her desk, coffee mug with “Despair Tears” written on it in her gloved hand. She glanced over, only to see Naegi’s worried face looking directly at her.

 

“What’s wrong, Naegi-kun? You seem… Perplexed” she said.

“It’s not about me, it’s about you! You seem so, huh, how to say it… Weird lately! You focus on work without a word, and you don’t take breaks at the same time as the branch do anymore!”

She sighed.

  

“Naegi-kun?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s complicated. I think you can understand.”

“Kirigiri-san…”

Silence ensued as he stayed by her side.

 

“Hey, Kirigiri-san… Isn’t it crazy that one year ago, we were trapped in Hope’s Peak?” he started to ramble after a few minutes of complete lack of sound.

“It doesn’t feel that long, right? Since then we met the others, we saved some people, you got injured but you got better! Since then we met so many people!”

She lifted her head. She knew what he was doing, and why he was doing it. To break her focus out from work.

 

“We met Saihara-kun, and you became his senpai! We met Akamatsu-san, and all the others from Class 79! And Class 77, like Nanami-senpai and…”

He stopped before losing his small smile.

“Don’t mention him” she suddenly spoke up.

 

Kyoko’s grip on her mug got stronger as soon as she had said those words. It had been a week since that tragedy hit the Fourteenth Division. Silence ensued again, heavier than previously. She could only feel lucky that they were the only two remaining in the Administrative Branch for the evening shift.

She could feel Naegi glancing over her shoulder, eyes focusing on the folder she knew it was vain to close in a hope to hide its identity from him. A small glance towards him revealed that he was frowning.

 

“Is this a file from-” he said.

“Someone has to take care of his obligations, Naegi-kun” she calmly replied back.

“That’s right, you were picked to be the substitute boss!”

He hesitated for a bit before speaking up again.

“Is that what’s wrong? It’s just because you…”

“Not… Not here, Naegi-kun.”

 

The little man blinked furiously at her words. Usually, Kyoko would have made an effort to hide what she was feeling, but this time around, she had other things to focus on, such as her substitute missions. Her ice queen persona still seemed to work, even if she didn’t pay as much attention to it as usual, and she could only be happy about that.

 

“What do you mean, Kirigiri-san?” he asked.

“You want to know, right?”

“Yeah, of course, but you don’t have to tell me!”

“I don’t want you to worry about me, but I also know you’ll do so until you know everything.”

She pointed out an empty space next to her chair, prompting him to get his own and sit down next to her.

 

“It’s about that, right?” Naegi asked with worry-filled eyes. He clearly wasn’t used to her being so opened.

“I never expected my role as ‘substitute commander’ to ever take in effect.”

“I think nobody did, Kirigiri-san. It happened so suddenly, I think we’re still trying to get over it.  I know for sure I’m still getting over it. You do too, right?”

“I don’t have time to ponder upon it, I have to take care of the division.”

“Is that why you never want to her his name lately?”

“Probably.”

 

Silence ensued once again. They were both used to not knowing what to say in those kinds of situations, where both of them were tense and where at least one of them was trying to evade the other’s glaze.

“I’m not sure if I was the best pick to replace Hinata-san.”

“Don’t say that, Kirigiri-san! You’re doing really well! It’s only been one week anyway, he should wake up soon enough!”

“What if he doesn’t wake up, Naegi-kun?”

 

The cold tone in her voice was desperately trying to hide her inner fears. She wanted Hinata to wake up, to come back to them and take back his role. She didn’t have his managing skills. She had no reason to think he wouldn’t make the cut, but somehow, Kyoko was just terrified.

She had taken a knife to the chest earlier in the year, and had gone through soft hypothermia too. However, she had stayed in there for only a couple of days before being back on track. It had been a week since Hinata had come back to them drenched in his own blood after a mission had gone horrible wrong. And he was still considered in a life-or-death gambit state. She wasn’t at ease, as opposed to Naegi, who was optimistic about the one he was the right-hand man of.

 

“I mean, Kirigiri-san, you’ve managed his files pretty well! You tidied up those which were still hanging around his office! I’m sure everybody feels the same way as I do!” continued to ramble the hopeful man, doing his best grin.

She sipped in what was left of her cup of coffee.

“I guess you’re right, but I can’t feel as peaceful as you do. I survived by some kind of miracle. I don’t think my substitution is a good idea if Hinata-san never comes back.”

“He will come back, Kirigiri-san! Hinata-senpai will come back!”

 

He sounded as if he was just trying to reassure himself, more than he was trying to make her feel better about Hinata’s half-disappearance. She glanced at the file on her desk before closing it, revealing the brown cover and the words “MISSION ESPOIR” written in a black sharpie on it. She gulped out of frustration.

“This shouldn’t have happened” she simply said.

“You’re right, but we can’t go back in the past to save him from the cult… We can only move on” he replied, looking at the file’s cover.

 

A soft smile appeared on Naegi’s face as he looked at her. He seemed to blush a little.

“But I know you can do it, Kirigiri-san. Even if Hinata-senpai doesn’t come back to us for years, you’ll do it. And you don’t have to do it alone. We’re all here for you!”

She got startled for a few instants, only to slightly smile and lightly blush.

“We’re all going through this, you know? You have bigger responsibilities than most of the division, but I’m still his right-hand man, and I have to be yours for the time being, Kirigiri-san! So, please, let’s just trust each other and tell the other if something’s wrong, okay? Let’s help each other out!”

It sounded a bit cheesy –it was typical Makoto Naegi speech- but she still appreciated it.

“Sure, let’s do this.”

 

The little man handed her his right hand pinkie, smiling.

“What about sealing it real hard?”

She let out an amused scoff before handing him her own pinkie finger.

“Why not.”

They then sealed their promise in a shake, before their fingers parted ways. It was a bit childish, sure, but she really needed some support and smiles when everyone else was just wishing her good luck, if not their condolences over the loss of her only superior. Makoto’s hope was contagious.

 

They both looked away, blushing. He was no fiddling with his fingers while her hands rested on her lap.

“Hey, huh, Kirigiri-san…?”

“Yes, Naegi-kun?”

“I’m happy to be your right-hand man for the time being… It’s not nice to say for Hajime-senpai who’s fighting for his life right now, but I’m happy that you agreed to this! I wanna help you as best as I can until he returns!”

“And I’m glad you’re willing to help me so much, Makoto-kun…”

_…Shit._

 

Kyoko’s face turned to a bright crimson.

“I-I meant Naegi-kun!! I said Naegi-kun!!” she screamed, waving her hands over her face.

He laughed in response, even if he was as red as a tomato himself.

“I don’t mind you calling me by my first name! Well, I don’t mind, but at one condition!”

“W-what condition?!”

“That I can call you by your first name in return!”

 

Kyoko couldn’t help but laugh. A laugh that relieved her from some of her recent anxiety over Hinata’s almost-demise and having to fulfil his responsibilities for an unknown amount of time. Yes, she knew she could trust Makoto and get support from him if she needed some, no matter if Hinata was there or not.

“Sure, you can call me Kyoko, Makoto-kun.”


End file.
